1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hand covering and the construction of a hand covering formed of a finger portion and a lower hand portion and more particularly to a hand coveting having a lower hand portion which is sealed in the flat and rotated prior to sealing it to the finger portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various forms of glove or hand covering construction and liners for enclosing the lower hand portion of a hand are available. It is often desirable to protect a glove wearer's hand from external moisture or chemicals by providing a liquid-proof insert member or a liquid-proof hand covering. However, the inherent nature of seaming material in any fashion can create leakage. As the number of seams in the construction of a hand coveting increases, the chance of leakage also increases. This problem is further exacerbated at locations within hand coveting construction where a number of seams meet each other at a joint, due to the weak nature of joints.
Manufacturing procedures for construction and seaming of hand covering inserts are similar to those of hand coverings. Very thin materials are generally used in the fabrication of inserts to keep the bulk and stiffness of inserts and hand coverings to a minimum. Rubber and plastic dipped liquid-proof liners are not generally acceptable, as they are too stiff and bulky, and as such, adversely affect the dexterity and mobility of hand covering assemblies.
Materials suitable for use as liquid-proof inserts include relatively thin, pliable air or water permeable or impermeable films, such as breathable microporous Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). An example of such a material is sold, under the trademark Gore-Tex.RTM. film, by W. L. Gore and Associates, Inc. Films may be used alone or as a laminated construction bonded to other materials, such as a thin stretch nylon fabric. In assembling these materials into an insert, the insert seams are heat sealed shut or are sealed shut with liquid-proof tapes. Stitching is generally avoided as it produces holes in the material which requires further sealing.
Liquid-proof/breathable hand covering inserts are typically in two layer construction using an outer shell only, or in three layer constructions which include an additional insulation or liner layer. In the latter construction, the liner is usually disposed between the outer shell and the inner insulation liner. In both embodiments it is necessary that the insert be sized small enough to avoid adversely affecting the dexterity, mobility and tactility of the total hand covering system. Bending of the wearer's hand within the hand covering requires that the insert, as well as other parts of the hand covering, have sufficient length to accommodate the bending of the fingers and the thumb at the knuckle joints, without binding the layers during such movement of the hand. In addition, the insert should not be too large so as to contribute excessive bulk to the hand covering system, since bulk causes discomfort and adversely affects dexterity, mobility and tactility.
Presently, liquid-proof inserts are formed from pattern pieces which are superimposed on one another and laid flat during the joining of the pieces by a heat sealing process, resulting in a flat, two-dimensional insert. Flat joining is done to avoid complicated manufacturing techniques during the heat sealing step. However, these prior art techniques for joining in the flat require the pattern pieces to be generally made oversized in all respects relative to the dimensions of the wearer's hand to accommodate the more generous amounts of material needed in some areas of the hand. In order to provide the required material to cover the width and circumference of the four fingers of the hand, the geometry of the hand portion below the junction of each finger, the lower hand portion, must be patterned to an oversized dimension so that the resulting flat insert may adequately fit the fingers without binding. The oversized dimension is generally equal to the sum of the combined widths of the finger pans of the insert, and therefore provides more material than is required for the width of the hand immediately below the junction of the finger pans (the lower hand portion). This results in increased bulk, additional material usage and a non-conforming, uncomfortable fit for the hand. Applicant has addressed this problem with respect to the finger portion of the hand covering in earlier U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,654,896 and 5,167,038.
Sealing or seaming the finger portion of the hand covering to the lower hand portion creates its own set of leakage and fit problems which shall be addressed herein. Decreasing the number of seams needed is advantageous in that fewer sealing areas decreases potential leakage. The ability to seal in a two-dimensional plane, or in the flat, is advantageous in that it avoids complicated and costly manufacturing techniques. The ability to position the thumb of the hand covering in opposition to the finger portion of the hand covering is also advantageous in that it creates a more comfortable fit for the wearer and reduces puckering. The prior art does not address how to manufacture and seal the lower hand portion of the hand covering in a flat two-dimensional plane with the thumb positioned in opposition to the fingers, without additional seaming.
A typical construction of the lower hand portion and separate thumb portion assembly which is formed of more than two pieces is shown in FIG. 5 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,038. In that construction, two flat pieces comprising the back portion and the palm portion are joined together to form the lower hand portion and two additional separate pieces are used to form the thumb portion. The lower hand portion and the thumb portion are joined by forming a hole in the palm portion and sealing the thumb portion to the periphery of the hole. The hole, for attaching the thumb portion, is spaced slightly inward from the side of the lower hand portion so that once attached, the thumb portion is positioned in opposition to the finger portion of the hand covering. Inward positioning of the thumb portion creates a more comfortable fit for the hand covering wearer. This configuration avoids the excessive puckering normally found when the thumb portion is located along the side of a hand covering, and a hand covering wearer tries to move the thumb portion inward to a more natural position opposing the finger portion. While this construction addresses and solves the excess material puckering problem and creates a more comfortable fit, it is undesirable because this process is very labor intensive and difficult when hand coverings are to be mass produced. This configuration also requires numerous seams, which increases the probability of leakage.
Past hand covering designs have shown the fabrication of the lower hand portion of the hand covering in a flat two dimensional configuration, after which the lower hand portion is then sealed to the finger portion of the hand covering. Methods of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,654,896 and 5,167,038. While these patents are desirable because portions of the hand covering can be seamed or sealed in the flat, these past designs are undesirable because they require numerous seams, and in many instances, the intersection of more than two seams at a joint. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a lower hand portion of a hand covering which has an integrated thumb portion and can be constructed from only one or two flat pieces thus avoiding the need to attach a separate thumb portion while also avoiding the intersection of more than two seams at a joint. In addition, it would be desirable to provide a lower hand portion which can be joined to a finger portion which utilizes a minimum amount of material while providing proper fit and comfort.